Last carriers



March 13, 1962 Filed May 12, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet l Inven tors TA/l'llar'a LBa/Qer Thomas W Snow By zhez'rflzor'ney March 13, 1962 w. BAKER ETAL 3,024,479

LAST CARRIERS Filed May 12, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 mwu W. L. BAKER ETAL LAST CARRIERS March 13, 1962 Filed May 12, 1960 LAST CARRIERS Filed May 12, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent Ofiice 3,024,479 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 3,024,479 LAST CARRHERS Willard L. Baker, Ipswich, and Thomas W. Snow, Melrose, Mass, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 12, 1960, Ser. No. 28,798 6 Claims. (CI. 12-11) This invention relates generally to work handling devices and has particular reference to a last carrier which is adapted for attachment to a shoe last to facilitate handling of the last by automatic machinery.

With increasing automation of shoe machinery, it has become desirable to provide storage racks to be utilized With automatic transfer means to enable a group of shoes to be successively and automatically transferred to a work station and returned to the rack.

A rack and transfer mechanism for this purpose is described in a copending application Serial No. 28,799, filed May 12, 1960, by Baker et al.

To facilitate handling of the lasts by the transfer mechanism and to retain the lasts securely on the storage rack during handling it has been found advantageous to provide an adapting device between the last and the rack which may be easily and rapidly assembled onto, and removed from the last, yet is securely retained thereon during normal handling of the last by the automatic mechanism.

The object of this invention is to provide a last carrier which has means at one end for releasable engagement with a last, and means at the other end for releasable engagement with a rack station.

A further object of this invention is to provide a last carrier for assembly with a last carrying a partially fabricated shoe, which has means for engagement with a last positioning plate and means extending forwardly therefrom to a position substantially at the point of balance of the assembly for engagement by a work handling mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rack station and a last carrier which have cooperating means for releasable latching engagement.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description of a specific embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a work handling mechanism with which the last carriers of the invention are adapted for use.

FIG. 2 is a View in side elevation of the last carrier illustrating the first step in assembly onto a last;

FIG. 3 is. a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the second and final step in the assembly of the last carrier onto a last;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of the last carrier assembled onto a rack station;

FIG. 5 is a view taken on line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view taken on line VIVI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a rack station adapted to receive a last carrier of the type disclosed herein;

FIG. 8 is a view in front elevation of the rack station of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a view in side elevation of the rack station of FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a last carrier 10 which is particularly adapted for attachment to a last 12 to enable the last to be stored on a station 14 of a rack 16 and to be automatically positioned on a jack 18 of a shoe machine 20 by an automatic transfer mechanism 22.

The structure and operation of the transfer mechanism 22 does .not form a part of the present invention but is fully described in the copending application Serial No. 28,799, above referred to. The last carrier 10 is particularly adapted for use with a last of the geometric type such as are described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,948,547, issued February 27, 1934, to Laurence E. Topha-m. Lasts of this type are provided with a positioning plate 24 on the heel cone surface with a thimble hole 26 extending therethrough and in the illustrated embodiment the plate is provided with an undercut 28 at the rear end forming a rearwardly projecting shoulder 30.

The last carrier 10 comprises generally a rectangular frame 32 having a positioning pin 34 pivotally mounted at one end and a depending support plate 36 disposed at the other end. The pin 34 is secured to the frame by means of a centrally positioned pivot block 35 pivoted at 37 so that the pin 34 is capable of a limited amount of fore and aft tilting movement for a purpose to appear hereinafter. The amount of said tilting movement is limited by stop pin 38 projecting from the block 35 into an aperture 40 in the rear of the frame. The positioning pin 34 has an end 42 extending upwardly (FIG. 5) for entering the thimble hole 26 of the last and a downwardly projecting end 44 (FIG. 1) for entering an aperture 46 (FIG. 9) of .a support post 48 on the rack station 14.

The support plate 36 is provided with a forwardly projecting support block 50' for engagement by a suitable work grasping mechanism 52 on the transfer mechanism, and also has-a vertical slot 54 with a connecting side aperture 56, for engagement with a latch mechanism on the rack station as will appear hereinafter.

To enable the last carrier to be attached to the last a hook member 58 extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear end of the frame 32 for seating in the undercut 28, and a spring tongue 60 is secured to the forward end of the frame and extends rearwardly toward the hook 58. The tongue 60 is normally inclined away from the frame 32 so that when the last carrier is assembled onto the last the tongue 60 bears against the heel cone surface of the last so that the tongue tends to rotate the last carrier about the pivot 37 of the positioning pin 34 to retain the hook 58 seated in the undercut 28. The tongue 60 is provided with forwardly projecting portions 62 spaced laterally from each other so as to lie in opposite sides of the positioning plate 24 to prevent rotation of the last carrier relative to the last.

The rack station 14 comprises a frame 64 carrying the previously-mentioned support post 48 at one end and having a retaining plate 66 disposed at the other end. The plate 66 is provided with a spring tongue 68 having a cam plate 70 projecting forwardly therefrom to extend through the slot 54 of the last carrier when the parts are assembled, and a downwardly inclined latching tongue 72 disposed alongside the cam plate 70 for latching engagement in the side aperture 56.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the last carrier 10 may be assembled with the last 12 by inserting the end 42 of the pin 34 into the thimble hole 26 of the last and pivoting the frame 32 of the last carrier toward the last so that the tongue 60 is flexed against the heel cone surface of the last, and the hook 58 can pass over the shoulder 30. Thereafter the tongue 60, in bearing against the last, tends to rotate the frame 32 of the last carrier in the opposite direction, to maintain the book 58 seated in the undercut 28.

The last carrier and last may thereafter be assembled into a rack station 14, by lowering the last carrier into the rack station so that the end 44 of the pin 34 enters the aperture 46 with the frame 32 of the last carrier surrounding the frame 64 of the rack station, and the cam plate 70 entering the slot 54. As the lower edge of the support plate 36 bears against the downwardly inclined latching tongue 72, the spring arm 68 is flexed inwardly, and as the pivot block 35 on the pin 34 seats on the top of the support post 48 the latching tongue 72 snaps through the side aperture 56. Thereafter the last carrier may be removed from the work only by depressing the spring arm 68 far enough to permit the latching tongue 72 to pass through the side aperture 56.

As fully described in the above-identified copending application, the work grasping mechanism 52 is adapted to move upwardly and grasp the support block 50 to lift the last and last carrier from the rack. To release the latch, a portion of the work grasping mechanism may be positioned to engage the cam plate 70 and de press the spring arm 68, so that when the support block is grasped by the mechanism 52, to start the last carrier and last moving upwardly, the latch tongue 72 is being held inwardly out of the aperture 56.

The positioning of the support block 50 a substantial distance forwardly of the positioning pin 34 places it about at the point of balance of the assembly, so that when the assembly is lifted off of the rack or work station the tendency to tip in a fore and aft direction is reduced to a minimum.

Since certain obvious changes may be made in the device illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not a limited sense.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A last carrier for assembly with a last having a thimble hole in the heel cone, comprising a guide member having an upwardly projecting end for entering the thimble hole, and downwardly projecting portion for positioning the carrier on a storage rack, means on said carrier engaging the last to prevent rotation thereof relative to the last, and means disposed forwardly of the guide member for engagement by a work handling mechanism.

2. A last carrier for assembly with a last of the type having a positioning plate on the heel cone surface with a thimble hole extending therethrough, said carrier comprising a frame having a guide post at one end for entering the thimble hole, and a support plate at the other end having means for engagement by a work handling mechanism, and means for nonrotatable engagement with the positioning plate of the last, said means comprising a hook member for engaging one end of the positioning plate rearwardly of the thimble hole, and resilient means for hearing against the heel cone forwardly of the thimble hole.

3. A last carrier for assembly with a last of the type having a positioning plate disposed on the heel cone with a thimble hole extending therethrough, said carrier comprising a support post for entering the thimble hole,

retaining means pivotally secured to the thimble post for engaging one end of the positioning plate and resilient means for bearing against a portion of the last to urge said retaining means into engagement with the positioning plate.

4. A last carrier for assembly with a last of the type having a positioning plate disposed on the heel cone with a thimble hole extending therethrough and an undercut at one end, said carrier comprising a frame having a guide post pivotally mounted at one end of the frame and having an upwardly extending end for entering the thimble hole and a downwardly extending end for entering an aperture of a storage rack, a support plate disposed on the other end of the frame having means for engagement by a work handling mechanism, and'last engaging means disposed on the frame, comprising a hook portion, disposed rearwardly of the guide post and a spring tongue disposed forwardly of the guide post and having a free end extending toward said work portion, said tongue being adapted to bear against the last forwardly of the thimble hole to tend to pivot the frame in relation to the guide post to maintain the hook portion seated in the positioning plate recess.

5. In combination, a last carrier and a support station for receiving and releasably retaining said last carrier, said support station comprising an upwardly extending support member and a retaining plate spaced from the support member, and said last carrier comprising a guide 'member having an upwardly extending portion to enter the thimble hole of a last and a downwardly extending portion for engagement with the support member on the support station, and a support plate disposed forwardly of the guide post, said support plate of the last carrier and the retaining plate of the support station being positioned alongside each other when the carrier is assembled onto the station and having releasable interengaging means retaining the last carrier in assembly therein.

6. In combination, a last carrier and a support station for releasably retaining said last carrier, said support station comprising a portion having a positioning aperture and a retaining plate spaced therefrom, said last carrier comprising a guide post having an upwardly extending portion to enter the thimble hole of the last and a downwardly extending portion for entering the positioning aperture of the support station, and a support plate spaced from the guide post, said support plate having a forwardly projecting portion for engagement by a work handling mechanism, said support plate and said retaining plate having interengaging means, and means for releasing said interengaging means disposed adjacent the forwardly projecting portions for operation by the work handling means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,850,749 Dorosz Sept. 9, 1958 

